Earthquake preparedness month

February 1st marks the first day of Earthquake Preparedness for Missouri. Each year the United States sees thousands of earthquakes with nearly 200 of them occurring across the New Madrid Seismic Zone. This area consist of various ancient faults and spans across five state lines.

The majority of earthquake activity that occurs around this region typically consist of weak 1.0 or less magnitude earthquakes. However, typically a 4.0 magnitude earthquake occurs every 18 months while a 5.0 earthquake occurs once every decade.

In the years 1811 and 1812, various strong earthquakes expected to have measured over 7.0 on the Richter scale occurred. Since this time, there has not been as strong of earthquakes, but geologist predict that there is a 7%-10% chance of seeing a 7.0 or greater earthquake occurring in this area within the next 50 years.

In case an earthquake does occur and you happen to be caught indoors, experts say you should drop to the ground, cover yourself, and hold onto nearby structure until the shaking stops.